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Steamboat Springs High School golfer Kaelen Gunderson fought through a tough round for the low medalist spot Thursday at Cotton Ranch Golf Club in Gypsum.

The junior golfer wasn't driving the ball well. He missed six putts within eight feet and found himself at 3-over par on his second hole of the day.

But Gunderson hunkered down, battled and won a scorecard playoff with a 3-over par 75, leaving him with the first high school win of his career.

"I was doing work," said Gunderson, who also helped Steamboat shoot a 239, good enough for first place.

Gunderson started the day double bogey, before settling into a bit of a groove. He contributed playing with Battle Mountain's Cameron Brown - one of the top players in the region - to part of his success.

"He was definitely putting the pressure on me," said Gunderson, who beat Brown in the scorecard playoff. "It was fun because I was just trying to keep up with him all day."

Also scoring for Steamboat were Alan Capistron with a 79, Scott Ptach with an 85, Jace Hvambsal with an 87 and Ben VonThaden with a 93.

"This is my third 79 in a row," Capistron said. "I hit the ball pretty good and had one bad hole. : But this is the best I've hit the ball at any tournament."

Although the field wasn't the deepest Steamboat has or will see, Sailors coach Steve Dodson said Cotton Ranch is the exact type of course that will prepare his team for the future.

In addition to a tough layout, windy conditions made the course especially tough.

"I like this golf course," Dodson said. "It's a tough golf course that tests them. They learn a lot about their game on a tough course. It's all good preparation for when we go to regionals and when we go to state."

Steamboat also was able to bring a junior varsity squad to the tournament. Scoring for the junior varsity were Ty Hvambsal with an 81, Tate Tellier with an 85, Skylar Martin with an 86, Patrick Weston with a 91 and Drew O'Donnell with a 95.

Steamboat next plays Wednesday at Devil's Thumb in Delta.

- To reach Luke Graham, call 871-4229

or e-mail lgraham@steamboatpilot.com